Animal-lover killed trying to rescue pet puppy from cliff top

An animal-lover was killed and his girlfriend seriously injured when they fell
down a 150ft cliff trying to rescue their pet puppy.

Rhys Clark was killed and his girlfriend Ania seriously injured when they fell down a 150ft cliff at Southerndown on the South Wales coast trying to rescue their pet puppy SherlockPhoto: WALES NEWS SERVICE

2:32PM BST 10 Sep 2013

Engineer Rhys Clark, 27, had been given mongrel Sherlock by an animal welfare shelter two months ago.

Mr Clark and his Polish-born girlfriend Ania were walking the one-year-old puppy at a clifftop beauty spot when he playfully tumbled over the edge.

Sherlock landed on a ledge more than 10ft down – and both Mr Clark and Ania tried to climb down to reach him.

But the pair slipped to fall hand-in-hand onto the pebble beach 150ft below.

Mr Clark was killed instantly but PhD student Ania, 25, miraculously survived with serious injuries. She was recovering in hospital on Tuesday.